Finding Your Ancestors Can Be Cool!

I love the holidays. There is nothing better than family getting together and sharing stories. Thanksgiving is like the Super Bowl of family stories. Some of these stories are true and some are just family folklore, but all of it brings us together. These stories are a treasure, so why not use them for a…

In the spirit of Halloween, I wanted to have a giveaway that embraced the ghosts of our ancestors. I’m giving away the book, How To Research Like A Pro by Diana Elder. I love this book and it’s really helped me out, so I want to “help” a fellow family researcher! To enter: all you…

When I woke up this morning, I knew I had to say something. Every year on the anniversary, I relive that day. I can remember every detail as if it was yesterday. Sometimes when you have memories like that, you cannot help but talk about it. As I was debating with myself on if I…

So today’s tip is coming from a personal preference…something that I started doing and have found helpful. I hope you find it helpful too! If you are like me, when you do research you tend to take notes on anything and everything. Then when you go to input the information you’ve found, you have no…

If you’ve ever searched for genealogy groups on Facebook you know there are oodles of them. It seems that every area of the world has their own page designated to their specific area. Some are awesome…and some are not…but I’m here to tell you about some cool kids that I’ve met. I stumbled on the…

If you’ve been around Genealogy DNA for a bit, you’ve more than likely heard of the site GedMatch. GedMatch is a great (and free!) tool you can use to dive deeper into your DNA results. In simple terms, GedMatch is a catch-all for all DNA testers. No matter the test (with some exceptions) you can find…

I remember whenever I stayed home sick in high school, I would spend my day on the couch watching daytime television. One of my favorite guilty pleasures was the Maury Povich show and the best episodes were always the one with paternity tests. Talk about drama! To a sixteen year old girl, this was television…

I love finding programs that bring history to life and the Tennessee State Library and Archives has just the thing to help. The TSLA has a new program called DocsBox. There are several boxes ranging from the Civil War to Vietnam. All the boxes include specialized lesson plans focused on the specific topic from a…

This week, I received an invitation to my high school reunion. I’ll refrain to say how many years it’s been…I have to leave something to the imagination! Anyways, it made me all nostalgic and I found myself looking at my old yearbooks. As I was looking through them, I realized that yearbooks are full of…

DNA Week is coming and so are classes, stories, and giveaways! Below is the schedule for DNA Week. I’ll be posting soon on how to win an AncestryDNA kit and a free 30-minute consultation! I hope to “see” everyone there! Monday – “Am I On the Maury Show?!” The Who, What, and Safety of DNA…

If you’re looking for something to do the weekend of August 18th, I highly recommend heading to Knoxville to attend the East Tennessee History Fair. I had the opportunity to attend a couple of years ago when the Fair was held in conjunction with the First Families of Tennessee reunion. I have to admit, this…

Hey everyone! The Facebook DNA class is up on the Cool Girl Facebook page. The class will be on Aug 22nd from 7-8pm (Central). If you can’t make it “live” that’s okay! I’ll keep the class open for a few extra days, so feel free to stop by! Make sure to go to the Facebook…

To get the Want Ads kicked off, I thought I’d be a little self serving and share a picture that I’ve been struggling with. This picture includes my 2x Great Grandmother, Stella Alice Baker Martin (m. Frank Martin). She is the second from the left and sitting with her arm on the table. Stella was…

So you’ve been staring at your Ancestral Chart for a couple of weeks now and trying to figure out just who you picked to win the National Championship. (Am I the only one who is reminded of March Madness every time I look at an Ancestral Chart?!) If you are lucky, you’re still a little…

It’s that time of year again when everybody is getting ready to head back to school. I was that kid who loved school. I’ve always loved to learn, especially when it something that makes my world a little bit bigger. I am a big fan of teachers who use genealogy to not only teach students,…

Since it’s summer, I couldn’t resist using a “throwback” of a picture I found of a cousin sun bathing while on vacation. The above photo is of Geraldine Hobson Goebel, my 3rd cousin 4x removed (on my John “Raccoon” Miller line). This photograph was in the Chicago Tribune in August of 1938. Geraldine’s husband, Erwin…

The thought of jumping into your family history can be a bit intimidating. With so many people and so much information to find, how in the world do you even get started?! Well, let me help you out a bit. I’ve come up with just a few suggestions to get you started! Start with what…

Okay…I’m not talking politics here, I’m taking about a new poll I put up to see which DNA test you prefer (or which one you’d like to try). Polls are posted on both the Facebook page (The Cool Girl’s Guide to Genealogy) and on Twitter (@coolgenealogy). Go vote…and give the page a like/follow!